It’s not just a saying – sticky fingers really can help keep breast tumors contained. That’s because a new study has found that a protein found in the sticky pads of our fingers can help to prevent the spread of cancer.
The protein, known as E-cadherin, is essential for the maintenance of tissue integrity. It does this by holding cells together and stopping them from spreading out of control.
Cancer cells often exploit E-cadherin to help them metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body. But the new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, has found that by artificially increasing levels of E-cadherin in breast cancer cells, it’s possible to stop them from metastasizing.
This is a significant finding, as it could lead to the development of new treatments that could prevent cancer from spreading. It also highlights the importance of further research into the role of E-cadherin in cancer.
The study was conducted using two types of breast cancer cells, known as basal-like and HER2-enriched. Basal-like breast cancers are often more aggressive and difficult to treat than other types of breast cancer.
The researchers found that by artificially increasing levels of E-cadherin in the basal-like cancer cells, they were able to stop them from metastasizing. However, they found that this was not the case for the HER2-enriched cancer cells.
This suggests that E-cadherin may play a role in preventing the spread of basal-like breast cancer, but not other types of breast cancer.
The findings of this study are very encouraging, and could lead to the development of new treatments for breast cancer. However, it’s important to remember that this is a very early stage study, and more research is needed to confirm these findings.
If you’re worried about breast cancer, it’s important to speak to your doctor.
Cell adhesion is important for many processes in the body, including wound healing and keeping cancer cells from spreading. Now, researchers have found that a protein that helps cancer cells stick to each other also plays a role in keeping them contained within a tumor.
The protein, called E-cadherin, is found on the surface of cells and helps them adhere to each other. E-cadherin is known to be lost in many types of cancer, including breast cancer, which can lead to tumor cell metastasis.
Researchers found that in breast cancer cells, E-cadherin is essential for maintaining the architecture of the cell junctions that keep tumor cells contained. When E-cadherin is lost, the cell junctions break down and tumor cells are able to escape and spread to other parts of the body.
The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports, suggest that strategies to restore E-cadherin expression in cancer cells could help keep tumors contained and prevent metastasis.
